Forbidden Love
by BeautifulSuicidee
Summary: Someone has come to Fuka Academy to bring Akira back home. Could this be a good or a bad thing? TakumixAkira
1. First Day

Hey everyone! I would just like to say that this is my first time writing a story on this website, so I hope it is good for someone just starting. ^^

Anyways, I would really appreciate if you all read my story and review after each chapter to give me opinions or suggestions. I will be more than happy to consider the ideas. :]

Authors who inspired me to write this fanfic:

- Kurt Kieser

- ChibiKagura

- OpalPrincess

- Kyra Rivers

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**Chapter One: First Day**

"I'm counting on you, Kyoko."

"Yes, you're Majesty," she kneeled down on her left leg, resting her elbow on her right knee, bowing her head, "I promise to bring Princess Akira back to you."

************************************************************

An alarm clock rang throughout the entire room, waking up our favorite green-haired kunoichi. Languidly, her hand appeared out of the covers to silence the device. You can hear her moan in discomfort. Apparently, today is the first day of her last year in Fuka Middle School and she is required to wear the female uniform.

A yelp escaped her mouth, as she thought about it. She was never used to showing her female features to a crowd, especially when she was cross-dressing as a boy. In fact, she knew today, the whole academy would be dying to see her.

"Why?" she moaned to herself, "I don't deserve this humiliation."

Akira reluctantly got up from her bed and preceded her morning routine. When she stepped into the warm, refreshing liquid that filled her bathtub, she sank into it and pondered about her life. She was glad that Takumi's operation was a success and that their were not any complications, but it did not solve the problem between them. _'He knows I like him. But. . .he never told me how he feels about me. You think that by going to America with him, the two of us would sort this weird relationship out. Boy, was I way over my head.' _

It turned out that as soon as Takumi sent that letter to his sister, the next day, she came to America and stayed with him along with Akira. Akira never had a problem with Mai, but she just wished that when Takumi was fully recovered, they both would have spent some alone time together, traveling throughout the city and having a great time. She imagined both of them eating at restaurants and tasting foods that were unusual to them. Having picnics during the day would have been romantic and fun too. She would have loved it more if they had gone to the amazing beaches at night, watching the moon's beauty reflecting on the water. Then, going back to the hotel, when there is no one else but them. . .

Akira eyes widen and started splashing water at her face to get rid of the thoughts that weren't appropriate for someone her age. "I am 'not' like that," she told herself as she stepped out the tub. She couldn't help but stop in front of the bathroom mirror to stare at herself.

"I've…grown." Focusing on her naked body, she realizes the changes. Her breasts were coming out rather nicely, as well as her hips along with the curvy line appearing more on her waist. With a red flush emerging on her cheeks, she could not help but turn to the side to check out her bottom.

Akira was loss at words, never expecting herself to turn out like this. She looked over to the door, where the uniform hung and turned back to face the mirror and smiled.

"I think I'll look…nice."

After putting on her clothing, a knock on the door is heard. Akira eyebrows lifted a bit, realizing a certain boy was meaning to come to her room. When she opened the door, a smile is greeted, along with a plate full of pancakes.

"Morning, Akira-chan" greeted Takumi. A warm sensation coursed throughout the ninja's body the moment she saw him.

"Morning." The red fluster once again showed on her face due to the suffix change in her name. The blue-eyed boy took a step back to get a better view of the transformation.

"Wow! Akira, you look amazing!" he complimented, causing Akira to blush even more

"Uh…T-Thanks," she timidly turned to side, still looking at him, "You really think so?"

"Absolutely. Why, I wish you could've worn that when we were living together."

"Takumi!"

"Just kidding. But seriously Akira, you look lovely."

She didn't know how red her cheeks were, but she knew they were burning. All these compliments she's getting from someone she love really is starting to make her feel confident about today. She gave him a genuine smile. It was Takumi's turn to blush when a gust of wind came from the window, blowing through the kunoichi's hair. Right now, he took the time to get a better look at her. Certainly and no doubt, the uniform brings out her best features. Though her long, white socks only allowed very little skin to show, she had amazing, toned legs. It reached up to her hips, which he noticed were a bit more narrowed. What made them even more narrowed were her slim waistline, which brings out her breasts a bit more than ever.

Just when Akira was about to call his name, he took a couple of steps forward so that the distance between them was very little. He brushed one hand over her cheek, feeling her heated face.

"Akira" he said her name in a dreamy voice, as if he were in a trance. Akira wondered if he was aware of his actions, but when she felt his breathing, she too, seemed to be lost in the moment as well. Just as soon as she began closing her eyes. . .

"Nao! Quit it!"

"Tokiha, you're gonna break the door down!"

"What's going on?"

"Aaah!"

A heavy, dull sound was heard when Mai, Nao, and Mikoto fell to the ground, along with Akira's door. Her and Takumi step away from each other, just in time to see the misfortune happen. It was obvious to them that the impact was caused when Mikoto had jumped on both of them, to see what the two girls had their attention on through the door's peephole.

"Hey guys!" she waved at them, oblivious to what's going on. Takumi gave out a sigh of despair just as Akira merely scowled.

"Bummer. They didn't even do what I hoped they would," Nao pouted while Mai chuckled nervously.

After the five of them ate breakfast, they started making their way towards the school. Just as Akira predicted, many student's eyes were on her. Along with the attention, she heard many of them having similar conversations.

"I guess she really is a girl. Theirs no denying the figure she has."

"Wow, she's cute as a girl too! I'm so jealous!"

"I bet you her and Takumi are gonna start hooking up!"

"Did he know she was a girl when they were roommates?"

"If he did, did they do some naughty stuff?"

"I think so."

"Is her boobs for real? I mean, how did she hide them for so long?"

"Who cares? I'm just enjoying the view!"

"Tokiha is a lucky guy."

"I swear, if they don't shut up, I'll beat them to a pulp," threatened the ninja. Just then, her eyebrows started twitching when she felt a pair of hands groping onto to her chest. She looked down to see Mikoto on the ground, looking up at her.

"What are you doing?" Akira yelled, her face flustered as she fought her hands off her boobs.

"Just checking to see if you have a bra on, you know how perverted these guys are," Mikoto explained, smiling and standing up.

"Now why would I walk around bra-less?" Akira crossed her arms over her chest, feeling violated. Just then, Mai came up behind the poor girl and started fondling them.

"They are coming out rather nicely, don't you think Takumi?" Mai teased.

"Wh-what?" Takumi face began to turn red. Nao came next to him and whispered, "If I was a guy, I would so be curious to what's underneath that revealing uniform." His face was now the one burning as Akira fought off Mai's hands. It did not take long afterwards when Mikoto came up behind her and started groping her once more.

************************************************************

A maiden with long, straight, purple hair sat on the branches on one of the trees. It appears from behind, she attends to Fuka Middle School, due to her uniform wear. She flips her hair back as she grips onto what looks like an ancient, black sword. A few moments later, it disappeared without a trace. The maiden stood up and jumped from one tree to another, into the isolated forest.

"Akira…"

************************************************************

Akira gave out an irritated growl as she open the door to her and Takumi's classroom. Just as expected, every single pair of eyes just suddenly became hypnotized by her appearance. She smacks herself over her forehead as she walked over to one of the desks next to the windows, followed by Takumi.

"Aw, come on Akira, it's not so bad."

"Yes it is. It is a disaster! For the rest of the school year, I am going to have perverts trying to get me in the same bed as them. Not to mention that they already started trying to look up my skirt."

"I'm just shock that some of these girls actually decided to go to another path once you had revealed your true gender."

"Ugh, don't remind me," Akira sat down on her chair and dug her face into her folded arms, "Takumi, do you think I'm overreacting?"

"Actually, I expected for you to ignore everyone and act like your normal self."

"You're right!" Akira shot upright from her chair, her hands now in fists. "I'm just going to pretend everyone doesn't exist and-" The ninja couldn't help but feel something tugging her skirt.

She looked down to see a male student underneath her desk, with one of his hand on the edge of her skirt. Before he could continue his dirty work, he felt a strong gaze above him. His eyes widen when he saw the green-haired kunoichi glaring at him with fire in her eyes.

"You…freaking…PERVERT!" The male student known as Kenji let go of her skirt just as soon as she flipped the desk over his head. "You are so gonna pay," she threatened. Frighten little Kenji began to run around the classroom, but to his misfortune, Akira was able to grab him by the collar of his shirt just as she jumped on top of a desk. She lifted him up by the collar, so that he was a little above her eye level. Without hesitation, she landed a blow on his face, causing him to fly across the classroom, hitting the wall. Takumi along by a group of students in the classroom were stunned at the scene before them.

"Don't _ever_ look up my skirt. Next time, I'll make sure to rip out your eyes." Akira stood up straight, letting out a 'humph!' as she turned around to take a step.

"Akira! Wait!"

However, it was too little, too late. Forgetting she was on top of a desk, Akira's body started falling forward. She shut her eyes, expecting a heavy impact between her face and the floor. When she realized someone's arms around her waist, her eyes open to see her own arms wrapped around someone's neck. Akira moved her head back, to see her hero, Takumi.

He winced a little in pain but smiled. With eyes full of concern, she asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just hope nothing happen to you."

"Idiot. You're the one that's on the floor."

"Just trying to be your hero."

"You fool."

"I know." They both laughed a little until realization hit them about the position they were in. The red streaks were very visible on their faces as they gazed into each other. A large shadow cast over both them, causing the teens faces to look up. It was their homeroom teacher, Mr. Kakawakie. His arms were folded over his chest, with an angry expression on his face.

"Tokiha, I hope you and your partner have an explana-What? Is that you, Okuzaki?"

"Oh crap," Akira muttered as she buried her face into Takumi's chest.

"A-Akira…" It did not take long for Akira to remember the current dilemma they were in. She abruptly stood up.

"Gomenasai!" Nevertheless, the embarrassment does not stop here when Takumi was able to see something very clearly and revealing. Akira notice this and took several steps back, clutching her skirt down. Several students burst out laughing, which made Akira sink to the floor.

"I don't deserve this humiliation…"

************************************************************

The school bell rang, signaling for classes to start. The classroom was now fixed, from the help of the students minus Kenji, who went to the nurse's office. Once everything was back in place, Akira took a seat all the way in the back of the room in the corner, with Takumi sitting next to her.

"I heard Kenji started nose-bleeding."

"That's good for him, trying to violate me like I'm stupid."

"Well I must agree that he's a real pervert. Though, I sort of wished you had done more damage to him."

"Are you serious? Am I hearing you correctly? The kind-hearted, innocent boy known as Mai's brother is actually wishing harm being done to another human being?" Akira mocked with hand movements.

"Knock it off Akira."

"Just this once," she said with a wink. A rosy hint upon Takumi's cheek was seen and Akira caught it.

"You're blushing."

"Am not!"

Akira only chuckled at him and silenced once Mr. Kakawakie told the class to take seats. "We will be having a new student coming to this academy," he explained, "She should be here any minute to please be respectful and give her your undivided attention."

"Let's hope she's not a boy cross-dressing as a girl," a girl remarked who was not so far away from Akira.

"Rena, don't say such things. You're going to upset her," warned the girl who was sitting behind Rena.

"Relax Chizuko, she can't hear us," remarked Rena, who laid back with her hands behind her head.

"I wouldn't be sure; she's staring right at you." Rena head's turn to the side to view Akira, who happens to be glaring at her. Takumi took notice of this and got a bit nervous.

"Akira, don't so something so childish on the first day of school. Besides, you've been through enough trouble today." He placed his hand on her shoulder, as an attempt to calm her down. It did no effect on her, for she continued to threaten Rena with her eyes. After a few seconds, her glare softened up and fixed her eyes outside the window. Takumi let out a sigh of relief, happy he stopped on would have been a nasty fight.

A door suddenly slides open, as the student came in. Her eyes immediately scanned the room. When her eyes fell upon Akira, she led out a very small smile and turned her attention to Mr. Kakawakie.

"I think I'm in the right room," she said, a hint of anxiety in her voice. With a smile on his face, Mr. Kakawakie stood up and lend out his arm for a handshake.

"Naomi, was it?" The purple-headed girl nodded in agreement, shaking his hand.

"Well class, I'd like to introduce you to our new and fine student. Ms. Naomi Twilight."

Like the sound of a chain reaction, Akira's eyes instantly set on the girl, which Mr. Kakawakie introduced.

"Are you joking?" Akira whispered to her-self, still trying to settle her name in her own head.

Akira studied the student very intently, now stunned to say anything at all. _'Theirs no mistaken. . .it's her.'_

Naomi just tilted her head to the side and smiled.


	2. Guardian?

**Chapter Two: Guardian?**

In her mind, the world was spinning at an unbelievable speed. Everyone had vanished, and the only person who was there with her was that mysterious girl, Naomi. Naomi smiled at her, her hands innocently crossed behind her back. Akira clenched both her hands and gritted her teeth.

'_She . . . she won't get away with this!'_

Without thinking, Akira brought one of her arms over her mouth, as if attempting to throw something. Once her hand radiated green light, she swung it and propelled several shuriken straight towards her target. With a grin, Naomi simply lifted her hand, and flicked all the shuriken up towards the ceiling. Then, clapping her hands together, a blue, circular glow emerged. Just like a wave, it spread throughout the classroom.

"Erase," everyone seemed to have forgotten about the little show. Akira instantly noticed Takumi's body swaying and reached towards him before he fell out of his chair.

"Takumi?" she called out to him, but he merely murmured in reply. Akira brushed his hair away from his face, which made him open his eyes.

"Akira? What happened?" The boy looked around him.

"I'm… I'm not sure."

'_Silly, I obviously used a spell to erase everyone's __memory_.'

"Who said that?" Akira asked a frantic hint in her voice. She nervously looked around, only to find no one . . . wait a minute…

'_Y-you're in my mind?'_

Naomi nodded, the smile no longer on her face.

'_I'm your guardian . . . Princess.'_

************************************************************

"Are you feeling any better?"

"A lot better. Thanks again, Akira-chan."

"No problem."

Both of them were in Takumi's room. He had a major headache after school was over, and Akira insisted that he lie down. However, like magic, all his aches went away when she placed a finger on his forehead while he was sleeping. He woke up, a bit startled, and found no pain.

"Did you do something to me while I was sleeping?"

"Like what?"

"Oh, never mind."

She knew what he was talking about, but she would rather not explain it to him. At least not now.

'_Is he okay?'_

'_Yeah.'_

'_Good.'_

Akira continued to stare at Takumi with a bit of concern in her eyes as he sat up and stretched out his arms. She was relieved that he was feeling better, but something else seemed to bother her at the moment. Takumi realized this when she clutched his bed sheets. Gently, he placed his hand upon hers. A pink tinge appeared on her face as she slowly looked up at him. He gazed back at her with worry in his eyes.

"Akira, is something wrong?"

She did not want him to be involved in her predicaments, so she smiled. "Everything's fine. It's nothing to worry about."

Disappointed, Takumi leaned closer to her. "Please Akira. I really dislike it when you seem to be troubled. I want to help." He squeezed her hand tenderly, causing her cheeks to become even pinker than before.

"T-Takumi . . ." No other words escaped her mouth, for she wasn't sure of what to say next.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of tearing cloth.

'_That can't be good' _Akira thought when Takumi's eyes lingered downward, his face now red as the blood pumping in her heart. Exposed and embarrassed, Akira swiftly ran out his room, her arms crossing over her chest. Before she could reach his bathroom, a body breezed in, blocking her from the entrance. Akira was a bit startled, but relaxed when the figure stood up, brushing its long, purple hair behind its ear.

"Thought you needed an excuse to get away from him."

"**Was tearing my shirt in half necessary?**" Akira shouted, holding her uniform shirt together to prevent anything from showing.

"I had no other choice," Naomi said, as she looked the other way, twisting her index finger in her hair innocently. "Besides, there wasn't any other way to get you out of there without you telling him what's going on."

A sweat drop appeared at the back of the ninja's head. "So, I'm guessing that knocking on the door like a normal person is out of your league?"

"Now you're starting to act like you somehow know me!"

"Why I ought to-"

"Akira-chan! A-are you okay?"

"Oh crap!" Akira cursed, viewing the huge tear that went from her collar straight down her shirt. "How am I supposed to explain this damage on my apparel?"

"Simple. Just say that your boobs caused it."

"Naomi! They're not even that big!"

"No kidding. You've worn those bindings for about five years. The poor cherries didn't have enough room to grow."

"Naomi!"

"Akira!" Takumi called out her name, sensing something going on.

The poor kunoichi began to panic, frantically going through his coat closet for something to cover up her embarrassment. Watching from the other side, Naomi only smiled, amused by this little show. Once Akira finally found a sweater, she quickly pulled it over her body and went back into Takumi's room.

"I'll be waiting in your room, Princess." After those words escaped from her mouth, she breezed out the room.

************************************************************

It was dinner time, and as always, Takumi had overdone his masterpieces. His excuse this time though was:

"I just thought we should celebrate our first day in our last year in middle school."

"Might I remind you, I'm not so pleased about my first day," Akira remarked, taking a bite out of her rice ball.

"Oh come on. Just because you got a little embarrassed?"

"Obviously, you need to get your head screwed on straight."

"You know I'm only joking."

"Well it wasn't funny."

"I'm afraid I have to disagree." Takumi burst out laughing due to what happened earlier that day. Akira scowled at him, obviously not elated about the events that took place in school. Now that she had revealed her true gender, nearly everyone had begun acting strange towards her. The boys, who were her friends when she had been hiding her secret, were not sure of what to say to her anymore. Some girls who were madly in love with Akira had become either simply disgusted or freaked out. Some of the other girls, on the other hand, apparently didn't care and still found Akira number one in their hearts. That was a big surprise for the kunoichi, since she never thought girls would still like her. Then, on the other hand, there were some boys who thought they were starting to be gay, but felt extremely relieved once they heard the news about Akira. However, now a few groups of them sees saw her as a new target.

Before Akira got the chance to kill Takumi for laughing, a mischievous smile spread on her face.

"Well, I'm glad you had fun since I know you probably enjoyed it more than the other boys."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Takumi asked as he sat up straight and wiped his eyes.

"I'm just saying, since you saw way more than you were supposed to see, you probably had the time of your life. You know, seeing my underwear, and that's the third time you saw me exposed. Except this time, I was wearing a bra, and it shaped out my breasts really well."

"Hold on! I am not li-"

"Well, it's good to know that your hormones are finally starting to kick in. Otherwise, I would have thought my entire life that I was manlier than you were. It's good to finally see you growing up as a man Takumi."

"But Akira-"

"Well, I better get going. I'm sorry, but even though it would drive you happily crazy, I do need to go to my dorm and take a hot, steamy, ba-"

Akira froze. One minute, she was getting up and about to leave. Next thing she knew, she found herself in someone's arms, being held close with his face on her shoulder.

"Akira," Takumi whispered softly, "I really want you to know that I'm not that kind of guy." Her eyes widened, surprised that he took what she said seriously. She wanted to tell him she didn't mean any of it, but she was so curious about what he would say. "I . . . I have a great amount of respect for you, and there's no way I can be so discourteous. Besides, in the past, you saved me numerous times, and for that, I honor you."

She knew her heart skipped several beats at his words. Whose wouldn't? For the first time in her life, she felt appreciative and very significant.

************************************************************

Akira opened the door to her room, taking off her loafers and placing them in her coat closet. Once she closed the door, she pressed her back against it. Replaying Takumi's words in her head made her smile and blush at the same time. She held her cheek where he placed his face when he said those beautiful words with one of her free hands.

"Takumi . . . Arigato."

"I'm guessing something happened right after I left, right?"

The voice caused Akira to have a sudden momentary shock. She turned to the side to see Naomi sitting cross-legged on the kitchen table, her arms resting on her thighs while with her hands supporting her chin. Akira stood there, her mouth gaping, before she pointed her finger directly at the intruder.

"What are you doing here?"

Naomi almost pouted and pushed her legs forward to jump off the table and landed directly in front of Akira.

"From the orders of the king and my duties of being a guardian, I have to be by your side at all times to protect you."

"My- My father? My father assigned you to protect me?"

"That's correct, princess."

Akira was astonished by all this. She stared at Naomi for a few moments before she looked at the choker on her neck. Nothing else had surprised her more than what she saw now.

"Y-You're a General!?" Akira questioned, noticing the silver skull in the center of her black choker. Naomi happily nodded.

"That means that you graduated from Mercenary Academy! Since when?"

"A couple of years ago. I graduated as a Chief Warrant Officer and immediately became a Lieutenant when I joined the Elite Training Corps. Your father was so astounded that a girl your age had so much talent, that when he decided it was time for you to have a guardian, he didn't hesitate to pick me. So, here I am, at your service, my lady," Naomi replied, bowing.

"N-Naomi, you don't have to do that," Akira stated, bending her knees to be a little under the other girl's eye level.

Naomi stood up straight and saluted. Akira tittered a bit and tilted her head to the side. "You haven't changed at all since we were young."

"No reason to. But you have, in a good way. You're finally coming out of your shell, are you?"

Akira grinned, "Yeah, and it's all thanks to someone special."

************************************************************

Once the bath water completely filled the bathtub, Akira stepped in slowly, enjoying the sensation of the warm liquid on her skin. She relaxed, laying back on the edge of the tub, only exposing from her shoulders up. She closed her eyes and listened to the wind blowing outside and the owls howling at each other. Once she found herself at ease, she spoke. "So, when did my father tell you that you were going to be my guardian?"

"A few days ago." On the other side of the curtains sat Akira's guardian, Naomi Twilight. On the floor, with her back against the wall, the warrior found herself playing with a kunai, entertaining herself while her princess took a bath.

"Really? How come you decided to show yourself now?" Akira asked.

Naomi positioned her hand on her arm, sadly looking at her lap, "Well, you only came back from America a day before I was told to be your guardian. I figured you needed to get things together because you were starting a new school year. Also, I wanted you to spend time with your friends and I'd just be in the way."

"That's strange," Akira scratched her head, "Because a few days ago, I got a message from my father's servants stating that a girl by your name broke the rules and dishonored my family. Is it true?"

The young protector gazed upwards to the ceiling and answered calmly, "That's not true. Someone in the Junior Training Corps accused me simply because she is not so fond of me. I'm surprised she went this far."

"Who is it?"

"Kyoko Fukushima."

"I've never heard of her. What's her rank?"

"Chief Warrant Officer."

"Isn't that the highest in her training corps?"

"Yeah, but apparently that's not enough for her. She is extremely selfish. She wants to be better than everyone, especially me. I'm the first female that's ever able to be in the Elite, besides Master Layla."

Akira felt extremely confused. A few days ago, Naomi claimed her father ordered her to protect her. But, one of her father servants told her a completely different story. Akira had been on top of the school roof one night, since it was impossible for her to sleep by through the loud clamor the girls were making in the dorm beside hers. She had found herself in deep thought, and it had not been long before a ninja in a dark uniform appeared in the shadows.

"Your father wishes me to deliver this message. Do you accept?"

"Yes. What is it?"

"It seems someone you know well, by the name of Naomi Twilight, has completely disobeyed your family's honors and violated our sovereignty. Your father requested that when she comes into your presence, you are to demolish her immediately."

It was the only reason why Akira had attacked Naomi the way she did.


	3. Awaken

Hola everyone, welcome back!

Just a quick note for you all: My finals are coming so I might be busy over the next few weeks.

Enjoy!

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**Chapter Three: Awaken  
**

Takumi stood outside Akira and Naomi's room. He kept staring at the door, waiting for either of them to answer after knocking a few times. He seemed puzzled, since he knew one of them was bound to hear him. Before he could knock again, he heard a shriek from inside. Pressing his ear against the door, the curious boy tried to listen.

"What the hell Naomi? I was just waking up!"

"You move slower than a pregnant mule!"

"I'm sure I won't be once I get my hands on you!"

"You can't catch me!"

"I'll make you eat those words!"

The sound of tables turning and people running rapidly could be heard on the other side of the door. Takumi winced a couple of times when he heard a loud bang, and cracking noises coming from the walls. He was sure someone was bound to come see what the commotion was all about, so he searched his pockets for the copy keys Akira made for him. When he swung the door open, something hard but wet collided into him with immense force, causing him to fall to the ground.

Takumi moaned, rubbing the back of his head to ease the pain. Another moan escaped from someone else's mouth, causing him or her to do the same thing with their own forehead. A voice on the other side of the room uttered, "Oh shit," making Takumi open his eyes and let out a small cry.

Hovering over him was none other than Akira, wearing a soaking wet, white spaghetti strap shirt. Takumi's face turned many shades of red, since it shaped out _everything_ on her chest. Once Akira opened her own eyes, she instinctively threw the poor boy out the door and slammed it in his face.

"Oh-Oh my god! That was hilarious!" a hysterical Naomi commented.

"Why you-"

"I can still see your nip-"

"Shut up!"

Meanwhile, Takumi waited patiently outside their dorm, not wanting to interrupt them this time.

************************************************************

Watching the scene from outside their window, a girl with short, light brown hair sighed.

"Well, it's your funeral," she said mysteriously, "And if someone precious dies, it will be entirely _your_ fault. Besides, we warned you."

She then focused on Akira, who was struggling to button her uniform's skirt.

"Princess . . ."

************************************************************

As if someone answered his prayers, Takumi saw the two girls coming out of their room. He sensed anger coming from Akira, probably because of what Naomi had done to her. Trying to pretend he never saw anything, he greeted her as usual. "Morning Akira-chan, Naomi-chan."

"Please. I have never been fond of suffixes in my name. Just Naomi is fine," Naomi replied.

"As you wish." Takumi turned back towards Akira, who he assumed was still humiliated, when he noticed the black sweater she wore.

"Akira, it's not the right season to be wearing such clothing. Please take it off," he advised, sounding worried.

The ninja only glared at her guardian, who turned around and whistled innocently.

'_I'll get you.'_

'_I'm shaking in my loafers.'_

Takumi only sighed as he watched the two battle with their eyes. "This is going to be an interesting year," he muttered.

"There you guys are!" shouted a voice down the corridor. The three of them turned to see Mai, Mikoto, Nao, and Natsuki.

"Hey sis! What are you doing here?"

When Mai got closer to where they stood, she answered, "Well, I was waiting for a certain someone to come by my room as usual."

"Sorry about that. We had a draft," Akira said with another glare at Naomi, who only smirked in return.

"Oh, and who is this? Your roommate, Akira?" questioned Mai, noticing Naomi.

"Unfortunately."

"Nice introduction," Naomi said, pouting slightly.

"Extremely kind of you to wake me up by getting frigid water all over me."

"Really admire the view, though. Takumi agrees."

"Enough!"

Amused by all this, Nao jumped in. "Exactly what did you see Takumi?"

"Uhh. . ."

"Nothing!" Akira insisted.

"Oh come on. I must know."

"Are you that desperate to know about their private lives?" Natsuki also jumped in, smiling. "Guess you don't have a hobby anymore, now don't you."

"How dare you talk to me like that? "

"Bite me."

Natsuki, although taken by surprise when Nao leapt towards her, pushed her against the wall. She grabbed one of the redhead's shoulders, put her foot behind her knee and shoved her to the ground. The two began to wrestle, each shouting at the other. Mai, wanting to stop this quarrel, tried to break them apart, but soon found herself in the battle as well after Nao accidentally kneed her in the stomach. Watching from the sidelines, Akira, Takumi, and Mikoto had sweatdrops behind their heads while Naomi only watched, amused. Suddenly noticing Akira's clothing, Mikoto asked, "Why are you wearing that? It's too hot."

"I have my reasons," Akira answered dully.

"Which are?"

Finding herself in the same situation she was in with Nao, Akira groaned while Takumi hid his face behind his bag.

'_I'm so going to get you.'_

'_Bite me.'_

When Akira and Takumi decided it was time for the girls to stop fighting, they separated them from each other and made sure they stayed a good distance away from one another. Once they entered the gates to the Academy, it did not take long before everyone started gawking at Akira again. Nothing too different from yesterday, but the comments about her were starting to become a bit more negative, which she could not ignore. She looked to her right and saw Kenji, the one who tried to look up her skirt during homeroom. It seemed like he did not learn anything from Akira's attempts to kill him, for he still looked at her with those same, dirty eyes.

She wiped the sweat running down the side of her face with her sleeves.

"You missed a spot," Takumi said, taking a small handkerchief from his pocket. Thinking he was going to hand it to her, Akira held out her hand to receive it. Instead, he came in front of her and started dabbing her face softly.

"I told you it's not a good idea to wear that thing." Obviously, Takumi was not aware that he was standing so close Akira. Just like yesterday morning, she could feel his breath on her lips, and she was drowning again in his spell.

"Takumi . . ." she whispered his name in a seductive tone. This caught his attention. Akira closed her eyes and began to lean forward. The fact that everyone was staring didn't bother Akira at all at this moment. She just wanted her first kiss to be perfect.

"Akira-chan! It's so nice to meet you at last!" called a voice from behind. Akira felt breasts pressing against the back of her head as a pair of arms crushed her tiny body. For a moment, she tried to comprehend what was happening, since she was until just now on a trip to heaven. When they released her, she swiftly turned a complete one-eighty degrees to see the culprit who ruined her moment. Confused, Akira raised her eyebrows.

"Uhh, do I know you?"

"Hello? Kyoko Fukushima. Remember?" the maiden with short, light brown hair told her.

"I think I've heard of you. It sounds familiar." Another sound of a chain reaction is heard, when Akira clearly remembered the name. She looked towards Naomi, who angrily glared at Kyoko with her brilliant, green eyes. She then looked back at Kyoko, who had a smirk on her face, staring at Naomi with a hint of evil in her auburn eyes.

Takumi looked back and forth between the two girls. Perplexed, he turned to Naomi, "Is everything alright?"

"Everything is perfect," she said, hiding her anger behind an obviously fake smile, "I'm glad to be face-to-face with _someone_ I've known for awhile." She extended her hand towards Kyoko.

"I'm just glad that I'm now face-to-face with someone as incredibly talented as this _girl_ here," Kyoko remarked, taking Naomi's hand into hers.

When they shook hands, Takumi could see both girls' muscles tensing up from their arms and a hint of their veins under their skin. When they released, Naomi turned around and began to walk towards the school, Kyoko trailing behind her. Puzzled, Akira shook her head. To make sure no one started to ask questions, she laughed aloud.

"Wow! Aren't they hilarious?"

Mai and the rest of the girls only seemed dumbfounded. Completely stuck herself, Akira bit her lip, thinking of a perfect excuse for their behavior.

"I must say Akira, they had me believing that for a moment. I actually thought they meant every word. Though, Kyoko could use little more eye contact on Naomi, but overall, it is the best acting I've seen them do." Takumi turned to look at his sister. "They had you fooled, didn't they sis?"

"Huh? I don't get it Takumi." Mai scratched her head.

"They're actresses. Akira and I gave them a task to act like complete enemies once they meet, regardless of where they are. You see, they're both competing to do the same role. But they're both so amazing; I think the director will just have to have both of them in a movie."

"And what movie would that be?" Nao crossed her arms, not buying his story.

"I think in translation, it's 'Forbidden Love'." Takumi rubbed his chin with his finger. "It's actually quite fascinating. There's this girl-"

Akira could not believe what a quick thinker Takumi was, and how everyone was starting to fall for his bogus story. But, his story was better than anything she could've come up with. However, she wondered where Naomi and Kyoko could have gone. She looked around the area, but found no trace of them. Takumi seemed to notice this as well, and cut his story short.

"So if you see any strange behaviors between them, now you know why," he finished with a confident smile. Before anyone could throw questions at him, he and Akira ran past them, leaving behind a group of puzzled-looking people.

When the two were a good distance away from everyone, they both stopped.

"Where are they?" Akira asked.

"Let's split up. Maybe they just went somewhere to talk. Nothing serious should happen," Takumi assumed, taking off towards an area with many trees Akira stood there, worried.

"I hope not…"

************************************************************

Stopping to take a short break, Takumi leaned against a tree, clutching onto his chest. He was grateful his new heart improved his stamina, but he really wanted to find Naomi and Kyoko, for Akira's sake. Takumi knew their behavior was not normal. The image of their muscles tensing and their veins popping out made that obvious, and the two girls did not want anyone to find out, not even Akira. The look on her face when Kyoko introduced herself proved that she was confused as well.

"Are they hiding something?" Takumi whispered to himself softly. Before he could think any deeper, a flash of bright, crimson light caused him to cover his face. When it died down, he looked behind the trees and gasped.

Kyoko was pointing a thin, silver sword towards Naomi. The sword was dangerously close to her face, and Takumi was sure it was enough to kill her. Naomi stood still, not even flinching. Kyoko tilted her head to the side.

"You are a sham, you know that?" Kyoko scolded, "Pretending you hadn't done anything to disrespect the princess's father-"

"You don't have an idea about what he planned for Akira-dono's future!" Naomi scolded back, tightening her hands into fists. "The master is the sham for forcing her to do such thing!"

"There you go again, dishonoring your own Majesty. You know, he's the one who approved you to be in the Elite."

"I couldn't care less about being the best. If being the best means I have to let such misfortune happen, I would gladly throw it all away."

"Damn you!" Kyoko cursed and swung her sword to the side, slicing the grass on the ground, "You don't have any idea how much the other combatants are dying to be in your position! They look up to you!"

"You think I care about fame? You think I give a damn about any of that? You out of all people should know I couldn't care less."

Kyoko raised her sword so that she held it vertically in front of her body. "You know I have to eliminate you and bring the princess back home. It's an order from her father."

From afar, Takumi was extremely confused. '_What are they talking about?_' he thought, '_Akira's a princess?_'

Naomi disappeared, leaving Kyoko in a state of mystification. She then felt an agonizing pain on her spine and another in the back of her knee. She knew her bone was out of place. Unable to stand properly, she used her sword for balance. Naomi reappeared in front of the injured girl and lifted her face up with her finger so their eyes met.

"Well, you're not going to kidnap her that easily," Naomi firmly stated.

"You'll pay for this," Kyoko threatened, her eye twitching.

Naomi only rolled her eyes, stood up, and turns her back to the girl on her knees. Without hesitation, she leapt into the trees and left Kyoko there in pain.

"I'll make sure you suffer," Kyoko threatened between her teeth, "And then you'll have to surrender."

After Kyoko disappeared in a giant puff of white smoke, Takumi decided it was best to leave the area. Running as fast as he could, the frantic boy replayed the whole scene in his head. This was all too much, especially during the first week of school. Enough has happened over the past couple of years. This only made matters worse.

Finally reaching his destination, Takumi apprehensively slides the door open. When he couldn't locate Akira anywhere in the classroom, he rushes towards the window. His eyes hinted a bit of fear when he spotted Naomi, who had just entered the building.

"Takumi!" Akira called, sliding the door open. She spotted him on the other side of the classroom and immediately ran over to him. Harshly grabbing Takumi on his shoulders, she asked frantically, "Where is Naomi? Kyoko's in the infirmary!"

Takumi wanted to tell her what happened, but a voice in his mind told him would be better off keeping it to himself. Instead, he answered calmly, "I have no idea. Why is Kyoko in the infirmary?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. Apparently, her knee was popped out of place."

Takumi suddenly remembered seeing Naomi kick the back of Kyoko's leg. It must have been extremely painful for her, since it was unexpected. Just as the vision in his head disappeared, he heard the sound of a door sliding. Akira quickly brought her attention to the entrance and saw Naomi walk in with a dull expression on her face. She made her way to where Akira and Takumi stood, staring intently at the ninja.

"We need to talk," Naomi established. "Somewhere private."

Takumi found himself unable to look at her. Truthfully, he was a bit scared of the girl. The speed in which she moved was unbelievable, and he had never seen anything like it before. Would she have done something to him if she found out he was there?

"Alright. When it's lunch break," Akira declared.

Naomi nodded in response and took a seat. Worried, Takumi looked over at Akira and kindly placed his hand on her arm. The ninja instantly blushed and tried to ask in a calm voice, "Is something the matter?"

But he didn't respond. He only stared at her. Gently tightening the grip on her arm, Takumi wondered if her life could be in danger. _'I don't want to lose her, but how will I protect her?'_ he thought to himself, still gazing at Akira.

'_Is . . . is he all right?'_ Akira asked in her mind.

'_Whatever you do, don't tell him anything. I promise you, his life will be in great danger,'_ Naomi responded.

Akira bit her lip at the Naomi's words and rested her hand on Takumi's shoulder.

"Listen, if there's ever something I need to tell you-"

"Please just be careful," Takumi cut her off. Akira was taken aback.

"Takumi . . . ," Akira whispered softly, her eyes saddening.

Mr. Kakawakie entered the classroom, placing his materials on the desk. "Okay everyone, settle down!"

While all the students started to sit, Naomi bit the tip of her finger and stared at her desk. "I can't let them know about Takumi," she muttered in an extremely low voice. "I have to protect him as well."

************************************************************

"Ms. Mashiro!" Fumi Himeno called, running towards her headmaster with each hand holding the ends of her maid outfit.

"I know Fumi, I know," Mashiro responded with her head between her hands, "But I don't understand why. I thought we eliminated him."

Mashiro Kazahana looked upward to the now, darken sky and saw the bright, red speck of the star next to the sun.

Apparently, they were not the only ones looking at the sky. Midori Sugiura also found herself looking outside her classroom window, amazed that the star had suddenly reappeared. She immediately looked at Mai Tokiha, who was stunned as well. Mai gazed to her side at Akane Higurashi, whose brown eyes were full of fear.

"What the hell?" Natsuki Kuga cursed under her breath, suddenly noticing the HiME star. Yukino Kikukawa placed her hand on Natsuki's shoulder, making the older girl turn her head back to look at her.

"You see it too?" Yukino asked. Natsuki simply nodded.

Nao Yuuki harshly shook Mikoto Minagi's shoulders, attempting to wake her up. When the sleeping girl's head suddenly shot up from her folded arms, Shiho Munakata pointed outside the window. Mikoto eyes widened. Nao clutched her hands into fists while Shiho just seemed worried.

At the Church, both Sister Yukariko Sanada and Shizuru Fujino were taken aback by the sudden appearance of the star once they stepped outside.

Akira Okuzaki, wanting her mind to wander aimlessly, gazed out the window. Her eyes traveled around the darkened sky, and stopped abruptly when they fell upon something small and extremely familiar. Akira eyes expanded as she suddenly forgot how to breathe.

If she could see the HiME star, then that would only mean that the Obsidian Prince had awakened again.


	4. Attack

Before you start reading this chapter, I would like to clear up a few things:

1. Naomi is far from perfect. In fact, one of her many flaws will be shown next chapter.  
2. Next chapter, there will be some more (WAAAYYY MORE) chemistry between Akira and Takumi. *winks* [Rated R? xD]  
3. I have exams next week and a quince to prepare, so I don't know when I'll update.  
4. I'm hoping to make more scenes where Akira is caught half-naked (_maybe _completely) in front of Takumi. :]

_*****Flashbacks are in italics*****_

I hope you all enjoy! I think this chapter is rather interesting. ^^

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Four: Attack  
**

Highly advanced, materializing, equipment – That is a HiME. Twelve girls with supernatural powers were brought to Fuka Academy. Each one of them has an identical birthmark on her body, the symbol of the HiME's power. They are able to summon a creature call a Child, if they are willing to fight with them by their side. However, in all this is a sick twist. The HiME's child is linked to the person most precious to them, – when her child dies, so does the person most important to her. Once she loses that person, all her powers disappear.

A tiny, red star, the HiME star, is located next to the sun or the moon, depending on the time of day. The star provides great power for anyone who possesses it, which is why the Obsidian Lord was after it. But after his defeat, the star vanished and the HiME were set free from the ritual.

So why had the star suddenly appeared?

In the middle of Fuka Academy's beautiful garden, eleven maidens gathered during lunchtime. After receiving the text message Midori had sent out, they immediately rushed over. Looks of frustration and confusion stumbled across their faces. No one knew what to say, or where to start. Everyone thought the HiME had put an end to this cursed cage. Would a new, more difficult battle emerge?

Midori took the opportunity to ask the question in everyone's minds. "What do you guys think we should do?"

"You think we should try to figure out why we've become HiME again?" Mai asked, rubbing her arm nervously.

"And where would we look first?" Nao hissed, "Where would we investigate?"

"Fuka Shrine? Underneath the school where the pillars are? Anywhere we found major clues from the last battles," Natsuki suggested, rubbing her chin with her finger.

"Then how do we explain the new marks on our bodies? They have these weird, golden swirls around them," Akane remarked, touching her back with her hand.

"Could it be that we may have to face a bigger battle than before?" Sister Yukariko inquired, having her hands together as if she were praying.

"Whatever the reason, I'm sure we'll go through with it if we do it together," Yukino tried lightening up the mood.

"I agree with Ms. Kikukawa," Shizuru chimed in, forcing a smile, "It's not like we've never faced anything that's quite horrendous."

"But the other battles were really scary!" Shiho cried, "And it was because we didn't want to lose the person most precious to us!"

This statement slapped them in their faces, causing everyone to be silent. Suddenly, unpleasant memories of the times when they had lost the people dearest to them creeped into their minds. Akane, the first one to be taken down by Miyu, was so heartbroken that she went crazy, got sent to a mental institution. Yukino shuddered, remembering how Shizuru took Haruka away. Nao can only look towards another direction, also remembering how Shizuru destroyed her child Julia and took her mother's life. When looking at these two girls, Shizuru began to feel guilty. She squeezed Natsuki's hand and lay her head on her shoulder. As she did this, Natsuki replayed the scene in her mind, when Shizuru misunderstood her and both their child's began to fight each other. Realizing that only one person could win, Natsuki ordered Duran to destroy Kiyohime, Shizuru's child. Sister Yukariko had the same look of guilt, since she was the main one manipulating everyone. Midori and Mai looked over at one another, their eyes saddening. Mikoto couldn't help but let out her emotions on Akira's shoulder. When Mikoto noticed Akira had not said a word since she got here, she began to worry.

"Akira," Mikoto began, "Are you alright?"

Startled, Akira snapped back into reality. Ten pairs of eyes suddenly brought their attention to the kunoichi, waiting for her response as well. A few moments passed, and Akira still did not answer. Flashbacks of Naomi and Kyoko's earlier scene ran through her mind.

_"Everything is perfect," she said, replacing her anger with a fake smile. "I'm glad to be face-to-face with someone I've known for awhile." She extended her hand towards Kyoko._

_"I'm just glad that I'm now face-to-face with someone as incredibly talented as this girl here," Kyoko remarked, extending her hand as well. She took Naomi's hand in hers._

Akira then recalled what Naomi had told her the other night, when Akira was taking a bath.

_The young protector gazed upwards to the ceiling and answered calmly, "That's not true. Someone in the Junior Training Corps accused me simply for the reason that they are their not so fond of me. I'm surprised she went this far."_

_"Who is it?"_

_"Kyoko Fukushima."_

_"I've never heard of her. What's her rank?"_

_"Chief Warrant Officer."_

_"Isn't that the highest in her training corps?"_

_"Yeah, but apparently that's not enough for her. She is extremely selfish. She wants to be better than everyone, especially me. I'm the first female that's ever able to be in the Elite, besides Master Layla."_

Could she tell everyone and get it off her chest? No; not yet. They already had enough things to worry about, and her business would just cause more stress to everyone. Still, Akira didn't know if she could do this alone, especially after recalling the time when Takumi disappeared . . .

"I'm fine," Akira assured herself with a small smile.

"Please don't hold anything back," Mai begged, "We're willing to help."

"Trust me, if I need back-up, I'll contact you all right away."

"Okay..."

Reminding the girls that they had about 20 minutes left before going back to class, Midori took off, waving goodbye. Soon, nearly everyone departed from the area, wanting to get something to eat in the cafeteria. Before Akira could leave the area, she kindly rejected Mai's offer to join them for lunch, since she promise Takumi they would each lunch together.

"Hope you two are making some progress," Mai winked.

"Huh? Wait! It's not like that!" Akira tried to defend herself, rapidly flapping her arms.

"Liar," Nao sung the one-worded tune, "Come on Okuzaki, you practically displayed most of your womanhood to him, from what I've heard."

"It's that stupid, low-life perverted jerk's fault!"

"No. I heard it's because you were on top of Tokiha at the time."

"And then I stood up because -- wait, I don't need to explain myself to you!" Akira realized.

"Oh come on, I gotta know the details."

"That's enough, Nao," Natsuki placed a hand on her shoulder, "I think she's been tormented enough."

"Oh alright," Nao sighed in defeat. But before she left with the rest of the girls, she got close enough to Akira so that no one would what she had to say. Bringing her hand up to cover her mouth, she whispered, "If I were you, I make my move before some tramp does."

Without getting the chance to respond back, Akira watched as Nao skipped away with the group, waving her hand with a grin on her face. When they were no longer in sight, Akira shook her head, refusing to listen to Nao's mayday. She left the area, planning to meet up with Takumi on the benches as she had promised. During her walk, Akira let her mind wonder. She tried to think back on the first day of school, remembering anything strange that might have happened.

_Without thinking, Akira brought one of her arms over her mouth, as if attempting to throw something. Once her hand radiated a green color, she swung it, propelling what seemed to be several shuriken straight towards her target. With a grin, Naomi simply lifted her hand, and flicked all the shuriken up towards the ceiling. Then, clapping her hands together outward, a blue, circular glow emerged. Just like a wave, it spread throughout the classroom.  
_

"That's it!" she realized, "My hand!" She could never pop shuriken out of nowhere like that, except for when she had her HiME powers. That only could mean she had gotten her powers back before.

"But when?" she wondered aloud, rubbing her chin, "It couldn't be any further back. That morning, I checked myself in the mirror, and I didn't see any marks." A sudden flush appeared on her cheeks. "Oh come on, I'm a girl. Isn't that what they usually do?"

Akira sighed. "I just wished he would look at me like that, and not by accident. I mean, am I not . . . pretty?"

The ninja stopped, looking down at the ground with a sad expression. She crouched, feeling like she needed to think about this. For a while now, she had been wondering what her status with Takumi was. Sure, there were times before he hinted he reciprocated his feelings, but he never actually said it. Akira needed to hear the words before she could believe it herself.

"Baka!" she said to herself eventually, "Why should I care? I never used to pay attention to those kinds of things! Besides, I don't think I'm girly enough for him."

Despite being able to kick ass in battle, Akira lacked confidence. Till this day, she still saw herself as being kind and weak. Even though before, when everyone thought the HiME battles were officially over, Akira still wondered if she was capable enough to protect Takumi.

"Dammit, why am I talking to myself?" Akira stood up, grabbing her head with frustration, "It's not like I'm . . . I'm-"

"You're what?" a voice interrupted.

This startled Akira, causing her to swiftly turn around. There was stood Takumi, holding two bento lunches on one hand and an umbrella in the other. "How much did you hear?" Akira stammered, looking somewhat anxious.

"E-everything from 'I just wished'," Takumi admitted guiltily.

Thinking he had know, she responded, "Listen Takumi, I wanted to tell you, but I didn't know how to."

Takumi raised his eyebrows in confusion, "You wanted to tell me you like someone else?"

"Well – wait a minute, what are you . . . ?" Akira began to ask, dumbfounded.

"You said you wish for someone to look at you like that, whatever that means. You also asked yourself if you were pretty and commented that you aren't girly enough."

Akira could not believe what she was hearing at this moment. But now, she had no choice but tell him exactly how she felt. "Takumi, I . . ."

* * *

Watching from behind the bushes, Kyoko Fukushima held onto her tonfa, preparing to throw it. She shifted just a little to get a better shot at her target: Takumi. -- Before she could get ready to fire, a hand hastily grabbed hers, causing Kyoko to drop her weapon.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a voice warned.

Kyoko grinned, knowing full well who it was, "Then what would you do?"

"Get my ass out of here and run."

Using the palm of her hands to deflect one of Naomi's attacks, Kyoko leaped backwards. However, in doing so, she revealed herself to an astounded Akira and puzzled Takumi.

"Kyoko?" Akira questioned.

The auburn-eyed girl did not have the moment to explain, because her own weapon was heading towards her at a high speed. Knowing full well she wouldn't be able to dodge it, she blocked the attack by crossing her arms over her head. The impact caused her to fly back a couple of meters, destroying a small garden right next to them. Finally appearing out of the bushes, Naomi charged towards Kyoko.

"Naomi!" Akira called out.

Kyoko stood up straight, bringing her hand up in a cadaverous manner. "You leave me no choice."

Abruptly stopping a few feet away, Naomi looked back at Akira. "Run!"

"But –"

Kyoko's hand recklessly slammed onto the surface of the earth, causing it the ground to tremble and crack.

"Get on my back," Akira ordered Takumi, "And hold on tight."

Wanting to get away, Takumi obliged. As soon as he wrapped his arms around her, Akira sped off into the forest, also desperately wanting to escape.

"Oh no, no, no, that won't do," Kyoko mocked with a smile.

"You better leave them alone!" Naomi warned, "You _will_ be sorry . . ."

* * *

Each step was still not far enough away for Akira, and Takumi knew this. Having never seen her this anxious to get away, he was starting to worry. When was the last time Akira had been this frightened? He didn't even think it was possible for her to feel fear. She always had such a tough act. But after looking upon her face before he climbed on her back, Takumi knew she was definitely concealing something . . . and he was determined to find out.

_"You don't have an idea on what he planned to do for Akira-dono's future!" Naomi scolded back, tightening her hands into fists. "The master is the sham for forcing her to do such thing!"  
_

What could Naomi possibly have meant?

"Akira-chan," Takumi softly whispered her name, holding onto her tighter. Sensing a morose tone in his voice, the anxious Akira halted and laid his body across the bark of the tree.

"Are you feeling okay? You just need to hold on just a little bit longer. I promise to get you somewhere safe," Akira assured, putting her hand behind his head, "I _won't_ let anything happen to you again."

Takumi felt a teardrop on his face, but it was not his. He looked directly into Akira's eyes as she spoke, "I'll protect you Takumi. I'll protect you . . ."

A white, force field suddenly surrounded them, deflecting the darts that were bouncing off its surface. Akira recognized the smell of poison. Glimpsing behind her, she saw several buff-looking ninjas getting ready to attack again.

"Stay put," Akira said to Takumi, who nodded in agreement.

"Get her!" ordered one of the guards.

"Yes Captain!"

**"NO!"** a voice harshly objected.

In a blink of an eye, Naomi appeared, rapidly taking down each ninja with one or few blows. She showed no mercy to any of them and did not intend to. While some were trying to use magic or weapons, Naomi used her bare hands to block or counter each attack, never letting her guard down. Akira and Takumi watched intently and noticed every detail of her fighting style. Leaping onto one of the ninja's shoulders, Naomi used her legs like a windmill, hitting and shoving each one of them who jumped out of the trees. She caught one of them between her ankles. Bringing her lower body to the ground at full speed, she smashed the victim, along with others who tried to save their comrade. Flipping her body backwards, Naomi kneed the person she had used to help her use her windmill attack in his face. Once his body had fallen on the ground, she got back into her fighting stance, scanning the area for any more surprises.

"Where the hell is she?" Naomi cursed under her breath.

"Where you least expect it," a voice hissed.

Right after the voice had finished its sentence, Naomi leapt backwards. Just as she predicted, Kyoko's body popped out of the ground exactly where she had been standing.

"Give her up! You know what the consequences are!" Kyoko shrieked, getting a bit aggravated at this game, "If I'm not mistaken about your plan, it would be best if that boy is eliminated!"

It was as if everything in Takumi's world had suddenly become black and white. Everything around him had miraculously stopped moving, and the poor boy began to tremble in fear. Akira stared at Kyoko in astonishment, her mind not thinking straight. She was joking, right? Would she dare lay a hand on him? There was no way in hell she could . . .

"Eliminate… Takumi?" Akira inquired between her clenched teeth.

The tone of her voice caused Naomi to look back with a serious look on her face. Something did not sound quite normal, and Naomi was sure of it. Glancing over at Takumi, it seems like he notice the change of mood as well.

Kyoko clasped her hands together, summoning the thin, silver sword she tried to use on Naomi earlier. Her hands grasped onto it tightly as a red aura glowed around her body and her sword.

"I'm sorry Princess Akira," Kyoko said in a sincere tone, "But you have to come with me, even if I have to force you."

"Like hell I would go with you!" Akira screamed, her hands tightly clenched. A tiny stream of blood trickled from her fist.

Everyone was taken aback by Akira's growing rage. "A-Akira," Takumi softly whispered her name. He reached towards her and grabbed onto her arm, hoping she would stop whatever she was about to do.

"Takumi," Akira began in a promising tone, "I wasn't able to protect you before, and I can't forgive myself for that. I know I had the abilities and the perfect disguise to keep you away from danger, but I let my guard down and made you disappear."

Not being able to hold back her emotions any longer, the green-haired kunoichi let her tears fall from her eyes and down her face again as she continued. "But that's all going to change! I _will_ show you I have what it takes to protect you and that there's nothing for you to ever worry about!"

Takumi instantly recognized the hand movements and incantation.

"Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, **Zen!**"

Underneath Akira, a shadow in shape of a huge frog appeared. It slowly rose from the ground, causing smoke to spread throughout the area, making it hard to see. But something different caught Takumi's attention. Once the smoke cleared, he started to analyze more thoroughly. His eyes suddenly widened as he realized what was wrong.

Golden, demonic swirls were spreading across the back of Akira's neck.


	5. The One I Must Protect

**AN: Bonjour my beautiful people! I know I've been gone for awhile, but here I am once again! :DD Thank you for the reviews, it really made my day. **

**I don't really feel like explaining my absence, but here's chapter five! Enjoy!**

**Thank you ChibiKagura!**

**33**

**Chapter Five: The One I Must Protect**

Standing on the tree branches, a familiar boy with pale skin ran his fingers through his aquatic-blue hair. Pressing his back against the tree bark, he grinned sinisterly. Reflected in his icy eyes was a green-haired kunoichi standing on top of a giant, frog-like creature, ready to attack.

"It's always the quiet ones," he stated amusingly.

With a delighted sigh, the boy traveled his eyes towards the school. His eyes seem to be fixated on something in particular. His grin only grew wider.

"Better hurry up or she'll definitely lose it," he warned mysteriously.

*****************************************************

"Mai, Mai! Your boobs are glowing!"

"Mikoto! That's very inappropriate!"

"But Mai, they really are glowing. Look!"

Sensing the pigtailed girl's persistency, Mai looked down at her chest. She gasped, seeing a bright, orange glow coming from inside of her shirt. She placed her hand on her chest, and looked around the cafeteria table to at everyone (Natuski, Mikoto, Nao, Akane, Yukino, Haruka, Shiho). Sure enough, she wasn't the only one.

"Natsuki, your back!" Mikoto pointed out, standing up.

Sitting on the chair sideways, the blue-haired biker abruptly got on her feet and turned her head around as far as she could. Seeing that her back was glowing as well, she immediately looked back at everyone at the table. One by one, each HiME started to get that same, radiant glow from the different areas of their body where there HiME marks were located.

Mai suddenly brought her attention outside the window. Her instincts were strongly telling her to go to a specific direction.

"Come on," Natsuki motioned her hand towards the door, "I think we gotta check it out."

Nodding to her suggestion, the rest of the HiME's got up from their chairs and dashed out the door, leaving behind a lost-looking Yuuichi and Haruka.

"Ugh!" Haruka cried in frustration with her hands up in the air, "I don't understand! What is going on?"

Yuuichi responded with a shrug and continued to eat his lunch.

*****************************************************

Takumi couldn't take his eyes off of Akira. Not only were there weird swirls appearing on her back, but her child was three times bigger than before! He quickly glanced over to Naomi and Kyoko, who seem to be more in awe.

"H-HiME?" Kyoko whispered in distress, lowering her weapon.

Hearing the warrior uttering an unfamiliar word, Naomi gave Kyoko a questionable look. The guardian gave a little jump in surprise when she heard Takumi calling the ninja's name.

"Akira-chan!"

The HiME ignored the boy's pleas. "Gennai, ATTACK!"

Charging towards Kyoko, Gennai mouth opened to reveal a large, silver cannon. Realizing it was coming towards her, Kyoko leapt into the air. A huge blast sent several trees up in the air and made birds feverishly fly away. Once Kyoko landed on the ground, a sudden hard blow of a kick landed on her chin. Kyoko flew backwards, stabbing her weapon into the dirt to prevent herself from going too far.

"Akira, please stop this!" Takumi cried, reaching his hand out to her.

But the furious ninja didn't hear his pleas. Executing rapidly, Akira slammed her hands against each other.

"On!"

As she separated her hands, a double-bladed kunai made its appearance. Holding it up in an intimidating manner, Akira whispered another command. A blue fire erupted at both ends of the double-bladed weapon. Without hesitation, she swung it with immense force.

But it never reached Kyoko. In fact, the weapon went flying into another direction. Someone had countered Akira's attack. Who could have done that?

"Mai?" Akira asked, bewildered.

"Akira, what is going on?" Mai stammered, not believing what she's witnessing. Looking down at her hands, Akira noticed the gems on Mai's rings were a bright, scarlet color.

"Okuzaki, what the hell?" Nao shouted from a few feet away, "Don't you realize the trouble you're causing?"

Looking around the area, the rest of the HiME's appeared in a large circle. All were in awe at the sight of Akira's child's size and at Akira herself. However, the ninja noticed something as well.

"Why…why are you all glowing?"

"You are as well Akira," Mikoto stated, "It's on your back."

"Damn," a voice whispered in frustration. Akira's attention immediately turned to Kyoko. Blood was dripping from her nose and mouth.

Akira's rage instantly rose. Shurikens materialized in her hands. She pushed Mai out the way and prepared herself for another promising, deadly, blow.

"You're finished…"

"AKIRA!"

Instead of propelling into the air, the shuriken landed on the ground. A strong, physical force collided with Akira's body, causing her to lose her balance and fall over. She turned her head to the side just in time to see Takumi running towards her. He was the last person she saw before she blacked out.

From afar, the same boy from before still stood on the tree branch. He frowned; disappointed the show was already over. He had hoped a lot more action would take place. In a way, however, he was glad it ended the way it did, or else there wouldn't be anything to look forward too. Taking out a book from his pocket, the boy placed it over his head to block out the sun.

"Well, I can't complain. She certainly put on quite an act," he said to himself. He looked back to where the fight had taken place. Akira was lying on Takumi's lap, and the boy was frantically shaking her to wake her up. Behind them, Gennai slowly faded into a sudden green mist. The mist floated into the air for a moment and trailed its way towards Akira. It seemed to disappear into the ninja's heart. This only frightened Takumi more, as he thought the mist would harm Akira. The rest of the HiME's began to crowd around them. Just in the nick of time, Midori and Shizuru had arrived. Seeing the unconscious HiME, Midori quickly dialed a number on her phone and pressed it onto her ear.

The corners of the boy's mouth curved into an evil grin, "Until next time, princess."

Night had already taken over the day, and Akira still had not awakened. By her bedside sat Takumi, with an extremely concerned look on his face as he took Akira's hand in his. With his thumb, he gently began to caress her palm, hoping she would open her eyes. After several moments of looking outside the window, his eyes wandered over to her angelic face. Underneath her eye, there was a bandage. The cut was not big or deep, but it could've been worse if Mikoto hadn't pushed Akira out the way of Kyoko's failed attack.

Still, whether Takumi had known that Akira was going to be saved or not, he probably still would've cried out for her like he did. The thought of Akira getting hurt like that frightened him so much. He tightened his grip on the ninja's hand.

"Takumi . . ." a voice moaned. The boy instantly stood up.

"Akira! Are you okay?"

"Baka, don't yell. You're hurting my head," Akira complained, sitting up with her hand on her head.

Takumi smiled. "Thank god you're okay."

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Cause you fainted," a voice answered from behind. Both teens looked towards the doorway to see Mai, followed by Natsuki. "We didn't know when you were going to wake up."

Instantly remembering the event that took place earlier, Akira asked, "What happened to me?"

Natsuki held up a dart which had purple liquid at the tip. "It's poison, type 059. When it penetrates into your body, the liquid drops your blood pressure. That's basically it, according to Naomi."

"Where is she?" Akira asked.

"Beats me. I haven't seen her since she carried you here."

"I hope she's okay," Mai said, taking a step forward and clasping her hands together, "When we came, she was clutching her chest in pain."

"She has a heart problem," Shizuru said, walking in the room. She carried a bowl of soup on a tray.

"A…heart problem?"

Shizuru nodded as she placed the tray on Akira's lap. "Heart failure, to be specific. Her heart is unable to pump enough blood."

"Poor thing," Mai responded sadly, "It must be tough on her."

Gazing over to Takumi, Akira could see the uneasiness behind his eyes. Having suffered from heart problems, he always felt guilty about his condition. He felt that because of him, Akira couldn't do the things she enjoyed. Even after explaining to him numerous times that it was no big deal, Takumi couldn't help but feel like a huge burden. Still, Takumi couldn't help but feel like a huge burden.

After reaching out to hold his hand, Akira gave Takumi one of her genuine smiles. The boy's cheeks turned into a rosy color.

"Well," Mai began awkwardly, "It's getting pretty late and I guess we all should go back to our rooms. Except for you Takumi! Since you already asked Shizuru to spend the night."

It was Akira's turn to blush, "Spend the night?"

"Yes. I trust Mr. Tokiha will take good care of you. Besides, nothing funny happened when you two were living together for two years, am I correct?" Shizuru teased.

"N-n-not at all!" Takumi replied nervously.

"Well then it's settled. You may spend the night with Ms. Okuzaki. Naomi did tell you to check her pulse every 3 hours during the next 24 hours."

"Check my pulse?" Akira confusingly inquired.

"It's just until she comes back with the antidote, hun. Don't worry now. I'm sure she'll be back by morning."

Akira couldn't comprehend one detail of her situation. This type of poison wasn't suppose to last as long as it did and it wasn't supposed to be this effective. Checking the time on her nightstand, she estimated that she had been unconscious for a little over eight hours. There had to be something else in that dart for it to knock her out for such a long time.

'_Or am I…getting weak?' _she pondered to herself, clutching onto her bed sheets, _'is my body not strong enough to resist such enervated liquid?'_

"Akira?…Akira?"

_'If my body isn't strong enough, I have to get stronger. I can't rely on Gennai this time, even though his powers had greatly increased. I'll have to put myself on a strict training schedule from now on.'_

"Akira-chan, is something wrong?"

_'That way, I know Takumi's life won't be in jeopardy, and not only will he live, but then my father will be able to see that I'm not worthless after all. He will see that I'm capable of-'_

"Akira-chan!"

Snapping back to reality, Akira felt two hands grappling her arms, shaking her frantically.

"Akira. Can you hear me?"

"Baka, I'm not deaf."

"Well, you seem to be really spaced out. Your soup is getting cold."

"I'm not really in the mood to eat it."

"Then why don't you take a bath? It's still a bit early," Takumi suggested, taking the tray off Akira's lap. "Wait till' I get back so that I can help you make your way to the bathroom."

"Is there a problem?" Akira raised her eyebrow suspiciously.

"Well, when you start walking, your vision will start to get a little blurry. It's one of the common side effects from the poison."

When Takumi left the room, Akira flopped her head back on the pillow. She closed her eyes, slowly recapping the moment when she was walking through the school's garden alone, basically talking to herself.

So Takumi thought she liked someone else? He didn't seem quite elated about it at all, which made Akira glad. Maybe there was something between them after all. But just like any other school girl with a crush, Akira was too shy to tell him her feelings. Was there a way to let him know without having to tell him herself?

"Okay," Takumi began, coming to Akira's side. "I want you to close your eyes. It'll be a lot less painful and you won't be as dizzy. Good, now put your arm around my shoulder."

Akira did what she was told to do. After she put her arm around him, Takumi's hand snaked around her waist, grasping it tightly. She couldn't help but to blush helped her out of bed.

"Damn," Akira cursed as they started to make their way to the bathroom. "My body hurts like hell."

"Warm water will help ease the pain. I already turned it on so it should almost be filled."

Akira couldn't believe how considerate Takumi really was. Never in her life had she met someone who took care of her the way Takumi did. He was always so kind, gentle, extremely helpful, generous, and so much more. Even though the activities he enjoys weren't exactly what she would call 'manly', they showed he wasn't afraid to express himself.

Perhaps those were the reasons why she fell for him.

"Akira-chan, do you think you might need help taking off your uniform and getting into the tub?" Takumi asked calmly.

Akira's eyebrow twitched. "What kind of question is that?"

Realizing his choice of words, he tried to explain. "I wasn't thinking of anything negative, I swear! I-I just didn't want you to have to struggle doing something so simple! Plus, you-"

"Save it. I don't want to hear it."

"But Akira—"

"Takumi, I'm just messing with you."

"Oh…"

Akira smiled in amusement. Even though her eyes were closed for her own protection, she could only imagine the embarrassed look upon his face. Takumi on the other hand, couldn't help but envision what it'd be like if he were to do either of the two. He mentally slapped himself for thinking such thoughts. When they reached the bathroom, he slowly sat her down on the toilet. Just as he promised, the tub was nearly full and it seemed warm enough.

"Just shout if you need anything. I'll be close by," Takumi said with a smile.

Akira opened her eyes. Before Takumi left her presence, she swiftly grabbed his hand.

"Akira, is something the matter?"

"I…I just want you to be careful, since I won't be next you. So please stay close. It'll be quite embarrassing if I ran out here…err…umm…"

"Naked?"

"Shut up."

He chuckled. "Well if it makes you feel any better, you have the option of me helping you into-"

"Ehh, on second thought, get out of here."

"As you wish, princess."

It only took Akira a split second to comprehend what came out of Takumi's mouth. Once again, before he was able to take a step, she grabbed a hold of his arm.

"Is there something wrong Akira?"

"I…Uhhh, I…"

"Was it something I said?"

Akira eyes widened for a short moment, but then she shook her head and tried to smile. "No, everything's fine."

"Are you sure? Akira, you know you can always tell me if something's bothering you."

"I know, I know."

"So there isn't anything you would want to share with me?" Takumi softly asked, kneeling in front of her, "There isn't anything you need to tell me?"

Akira wasn't able to think straight. The many secrets that she was keeping from him were suddenly racing through her head. She remembered earlier that day, when the other HiME asked her the same thing, she couldn't bring herself to worry them by telling them what was going on. If she told Takumi, she would not only make him worry, but rather make him fear for his own life. It's not something a girl should do to the person she cherished the most.

"No," Akira managed to answer, looking at him straight in the eyes, "I don't believe I have anything to tell you."

Sadly looking to the floor, Takumi took her hands in his. "I won't force you to tell me if you don't want me to know. You probably have a good, understanding reason anyways. You're a smart woman Akira, and I respect your decisions. The only thing I ask you to do is to be safe."

"Takumi, where is all this coming from?"

"The battle between you and Kyoko today. I admit, you did frighten me. I've never seen you so aggressive and determined to hurt someone. But please tell me," Looking up from the floor, he gazed directly into the kunoichi's eyes, "Why were you so angry?"

"Are you serious? That bitch said she was going to annihilate you! What was I suppose to do? I had to stop her! There was no way in hell she was going to lay a finger on you! I should have destroyed her for even letting those words come out of her mouth! I should've torn her apart —"

"Akira, calm down! You're letting your anger get the better of you."

Akira shot up from her seat. "I don't give a damn! She has no idea what she's going to get once I see her again! If she comes near you Takumi, I swear…I swear…"

Tears found their way into the kunoichi's eyes as she tightly held onto his hands. Her whole body shook in fury as she shouted out her next words, "I will never forgive her for hurting you!"

Temporarily paralyzed in awe, Takumi finally regained his composure when Akira suddenly lost her balance. She fell on her knees, bringing him down with her. She began to breathe heavily.

"Calm down," Takumi kindly advised, "I can tell your pulse is beating rapidly. Please, try and think about pleasant things."

He gently pulled her into a warm hug and began to stroke his fingers through her green hair. Her tears were soaking his shirt, but that didn't matter to him. She needed to calm down before she fainted again.

"I don't want to lose you," Akira muttered into his shirt. Takumi's cheeks instantly flushed as he looked down at the girl in his arms. Lifting her face up towards him, he could see that she was unconscious again.

_"It's okay if she passes out once more. Knowing her, she's probably going to go ballistic about something. Just make sure that when she does, the lights are out and her body must be in warm water. Warm water will calm her body and it will ease the pain when she wakes up. Oh, and until I come back with the antidote, give her this."_

_Naomi tossed a small, solid container at Takumi, and it landed safely into his hands. He curiously opened it to find white and blue pills._

_"What are these for?"_

_"It's so that the poison won't do anymore damage to her body. But don't worry about giving it to her while she's unconscious. They dissolve easily with saliva."_

_"But, hasn't the poison dropped her blood pressure? Isn't that bad enough?"_

_Before she could make it to the door, Naomi stopped. Takumi looked a bit surprise as she turns her head around to look at him._

_"Is something wrong?" he inquired silently so that his sister and friends wouldn't hear._

_Naomi took a few steps towards him and answered in a soft tone, "I hope you know that the poison was meant to be thrown at you."_

Taking out the small container from his pocket, Takumi popped it open with his mouth. Remembering those last words made him feel guilty about Akira being in this condition.. He tightly embraced her body as one tear streamed down his face.

"Akira, I will find a way to protect you. Just please give me the chance to."

Tossing two pills into his mouth, he gently placed the ninja's head back. He took a moment to stare at her lips before lowering his head to hers.

*********************************

**Eeeeek! Who screamed like a fangirl?? I know I did while I was writing the last scene. xD**


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